Dubai's New Airport Will Be Biggest In The World

Dubai announced this week that the emirate's Al Maktoum International Airport is about to get a massive $32 billion expansion.

Since opening in 2010, the four year-old airport has been mainly used for cargo operations. Passenger service commenced last year.

With this announcement, the seaside emirate will have a second major international airport, in addition to the already palatial Dubai International - home to Emirates Airlines.

The Al Maktoum Airport will serve as the focal point for Dubai World Central, a purpose-built "airport city" located 23 miles outside of Dubai. The 54 square mile airport metropolis will feature everything from commercial, residential, and leisure developments to state-of-the art cargo and air passenger facilities.

Dubai Airports expects Al Maktoum to be able to handle more than 120 million passengers a year, making it the busiest airport in the world. The expansion, which is expected to take six to eight years to complete, will enable the facility to accomodate up to 100 Airbus A380 Superjumbos simultaneously.

If that's not enough, Al Maktoum International Airport can be further expanded to handle up to 200 million passengers per year. By 2020, the airport is expected to support more than 322,000 jobs and account for as much as 28% of Dubai's GDP.

According to Paul Griffiths, CEO of Dubai Airports:

Our future lies at Dubai World Central (DWC). The announcement of this $32 billion development of DWC is both timely and a strong endorsement of Dubai's aviation industry. With limited options for further growth at Dubai International, we are taking that next step to securing our future by building a brand new airport that will not only create the capacity we will need in the coming decades but also provide state of the art facilities that revolutionize the airport experience on an unprecedented scale.

Check out Dubai's new airport city: